Courtney Love went to court on Monday in a groundbreaking case. The case marks the first time a celebrity will defend an allegedly defamatory tweet in a U.S. courtroom.
Rhonda Holmes, an attorney who was previously hired by Love in a fraud cased involving her late husband Kurt Cobain's estate, is suing Love for a tweet she posted in 2010 that said in part, "I was f--king devestated [sic] when Rhonda J. Holmes esq. of san diego was bought off." In addition to the tweet, she is facing claims involving a follow-up interview she gave to a reporter.
The issue will come down to whether or not the jury decides that Love's Twitter followers understood that the statement was about her former lawyer. The case will also examine Love's intent. She has now claimed that the tweet was not supposed to be public, but rather sent in a private direct message.
Because Holmes is a limited-purpose public figure, she will have to prove that Love's tweet was malicious. Even if Love claims that the tweet was a mistake, she'll have a hard time proving this considering the fact that she has become known for inappropriate behavior, including on Twitter. In fact, as The Hollywood Reporter said, Love's daughter once recommended that her mother be banned from using the social media site.
Judge Michael Johnson decided that other lawsuits involving Love should not be brought up during the trial, but he also said:
"The general rule is that except as permitted by statute, evidence of a person's character is not admissible to prove conduct on a specific occasion; However, evidence of conduct may be introduced to prove some relevant fact other than character or disposition, such as intent, knowledge or absence of mistake."
Holmes will have to prove that the tweet implying she took a bribe deserves punitive damages because Love is a celebrity and has many followers on Twitter. Love will need to prove that the tweet did not affect Holmes' career negatively.
THR reported that others scheduled to give testimony are journalists, former Love assistants and economic and language experts versed in the medium of Twitter.
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